Northern Territory Administrator hosts King Charles coronation event

The Northern Territory Administrator is set to host a grand coronation celebration at Government House to mark the official crowning of King Charles.

Britain's King Charles and Britain's Camilla, Queen Consort pose with Britain's Lord Speaker of the House of Lords (left) and Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle (right) at Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster on May, 2, 2023. Picture: Arthur Edwards/AFP

The Northern Territory Administrator is set to host a grand coronation celebration this Saturday at Government House in Darwin, to mark the official crowning of King Charles III.

The event will be screening live highlights of the coronation from Westminster Abbey, along with a performance from the Australian army’s Band of the 1st Brigade.

Guests will have the opportunity to complete self-guided tours of the stage rooms, and can purchase food from local vendors on the lawns of Government House, which will be illuminated in a royal purple.

As the Crown’s representative in the NT, Professor Hugh Heggie said the occasion was “very significant” in inducting a new personality as Australia’s head of state.

“This is about celebrating with Territorians this very special event for a new king, and importantly recognising the things he has had interests in for a while, that includes volunteering and also the environment,” Prof Heggie said.

Prof Heggie said he shared unique connections with King Charles, both of whom are a similar age.

“He’s got a lot of passion and softness, he clearly enjoys speaking with people and I look forward to meeting him early in my term,” Prof Heggie said.

Professor Hugh Heggie will help commemorate the crowning of King Charles. Picture: Supplied

Government House now has a room named in Charless’ honour, and a message for Territorians penned by the King and buried in a time capsule in the gardens, set to be opened in 2048.

In his 16 tours of Australia, King Charles has visited the NT five times, including a well documented trip with the late Princess Diana to Uluru in 1983.

His most recent visit was in 2018, when he dropped in to East Arnhem Land and Darwin after he opened the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

Support for the Crown remains consistently higher among older Australians, with one Roy Morgan poll last September finding that 61 per cent of Australians aged 65+ supported the monarchy, compared to 52 per cent of Australians aged under 35.

CEO of the Council on the Ageing NT Sue Shearer, said the coronation was a “once in a lifetime” event for many in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.

“A lot of us were still quite young, [and] didn’t realise the significance of when Queen Elizabeth was crowned,” she said.

Ms Shearer said Queen Elizabeth was a comforting influence for many Australians who had lived through wars and conflict in the 20th century, and that she hoped King Charles would be the same.

“One of the major issues in a world that is rather troubled today, is that we all need a little bit of stabilisation and somebody to look up to,” she said.

With all 250 free tickets already spoken for, celebrations at Government House are set to kick off at 5.30pm this Saturday.